“Lupe Fiasco – I’m Beaming – Lyrical Analysis”

1. On January 8th, 2010 at 12:41 am Saul Says:

   Thank you so much for this

   I would like you to look at my lyrical analysis of Dumb it Down.
   I had a lot of help from people but its still not quite right imo.

   http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=155067448&blogId=504175350

   Explained Lyrics:

   I’m fearless – (he’s brave enough to battle his critics)


   Now hear this –(addressing his critics directly)
   I’m earless – (He dosent hear their hating)


   And I’m peerless – (He has no peers in the industry, he feels no one is lyrically on his level)
   That means I’m eyeless –(so he dosent see them)


   Which means I’m tearless – (he dosent care what they say, so their hating dosent harm him)


   Which means my iris resides where my ears is – (He is observes rappers and the industry closely and watches their movements; He see’s and hears what’s around him because his peripheral vision is where his ear is.)

   Which means I’m blinded – (He hasn’t heard anything good lately, so his senses must be failing)

   But I’ma find it I can feel it’s nearness – (There are good rappers out there, and their close by, he just has to find them)

   But I’ma veer so I don’t come near – (staying in his own lane, He sticking to his guns as a lyricist and not conforming to commercial music)

   Like a chicken or a deer – (he’s not just one hit wonder)

   But I remember I’m not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear – (Fans that listen and watch modern commercial music would think he doesn’t know what he’s doing because he’ s not going multi platinum , Does he not hear or see what’s hot right now?)

   Here, you steer, I really shouldn’t be behind this, clearly cause my blindness – (Sarcastically saying clearly he doesnt know what he is doing so you the critics write my raps for me)

   The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is road kill, so trill and so sincere. Yeah, I’m both them there – (Windshield is what you see the world through, everything he sees is Minstrel((Black people used to paint their faces and perpetuate negative stereotypes like being slow, eating watermelon and chicken it was called a Minstrel Show, its referring to the rap world being like a minstrel show)) The grill is roadkill means wearing grills/shining are dead. So trill, gangsta and street/commercial, So sincere Real hip hop purist, He’s both)

   Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here – (continuing the line above with a Matrix reference, he both the in real and the fake realms ( like a commercial underground artist) 

   And he clear as a ghost, saw a biter of the throats in the mirror-(clear as a ghost means invisible in the industry and biter of the throats refers to vampires they have no reflection which means no one but him can see what he is doing

   The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living – (He is the guy that writes (quotes) for ghost writers that write (notes) for more rappers, sick ass line)


   Riveting is rosy, pockets full of posies, given to the mother of the deceased. Awaken at war, ’til I’m restin’ in peace – (Rosy the Riveter(the old WWII poster of the chick rolling her sleaves up saying you can do it). Nursery rhyme allusion, morning all mothers who have lost their sons too soon, he will stand against all enforced bullshit until he’s dead)

   And I’m mouth less – (Fans stuck on modern day commercial rap cant hear him, he is not a relevant rapper to them)


   Which means I’m soundless – (Fans stuck on modern day commercial rap will not listen to him)


   Now as far as the hearing, I’ve found it –( He found people that will listen to him, he has a solid fan base)
   

   It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is – (it came up to his earring/earlobe but never reached his ear, I think he mean people listen but most people don’t quite get it just yet)

   But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a Lear She fine and she flyin, I feel I’m flying by’em ’cause my mind’s on cloud nine and I’m in a mine at the same time –( not matter how fly he gets he’s still stays grounded and down to earth
)

   Pimps see the wings on the underground king –(Pimp C, one half of UGK gave Lupe props)

   Who’s also Klingon, To infinity and beyond–(Klingons in Star Trek had a heightened sense of smell and awareness, he will always try know whats going on around him)

   Something really stinks, but I Sphinx like Leon Or lion in the desert – (All see “smells” is garbage. Leon Sphinx was a boxer. The boxer implies that he’s going to fight the trash. The statue implies he has no nose as mentioned earlier, so he can’t smell, but the mythical creature part is incredible. The Sphinx is a gatekeeper in Greek mythology. Oedipus Rex answers the Sphinx’s riddles to continue on his path towards being king. Lupe is obviously speaking in riddles and for anyone to become king they will have to out riddle him

   
I’m flying on Pegasus you’re flying on the pheasant – (pheasants cant get but so high off the ground but Pegasus can fly to the gods, commercial rappers can only get so high but his ability has no ceiling)

   writer of the white powder – (he writes Crack or really dope music)

   , picker of the fire flowers, spit hot fire like Dylon on Chappelle’s skit- (He spits Fire)

   smell it on my unicorn,
   The Lady and the Unicorn is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk, from designs (”cartoons”) drawn in Paris in the late fifteenth century. Five of the tapestries are commonly interpreted as depicting the five senses. Smell Tapestry – The lady stands, making a wreath of flowers. Her maidservant holds a basket of flowers within her easy reach. Again, the lion and unicorn frame the lady while holding on to the pennants. The monkey has stolen a flower which he is smelling, providing the key to the allegory.

   no snort the white horse, but toot my own horn – (he dosent do drugs but he gives hiself props)

   And I’m brainless – (He is stupid for not going commercial.)

   Which means I’m headless – (Which means he isnt motivated by album sales or unconcerned with just getting aHEAD)

   Like Ichabod Crane is
   (Ichabod Crane was supposedly killed by the headless horse man. Relating this to the song, since he is stupid/brainless/headless he will be run out of the industry.)

   Or foreplay-less sex is – (foreplay usually consists of getting head. So since he is foreplay-less sex he still doesnt have a head or getting any head.)

   Which makes me saneless – (He is crazy for not selling out)

   With no neck left to hang the chain with – (he is referring to a chain around his neck that will chain him down and make him fall in-line with the other commercial rappers.)

   Which makes me necklace-less
   Like a necklace theft – (Rappers started wearing big chains as a symbol of being slaves he is necklace-less, not a slave to the industry)

   And I ain’t used my headrest yet – (He is not going to rest/sleep. Because as we all know ’sleep is the cousin of death’)

   They said they need proof like a vestless chest ’bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nest – Reference to Rapper Proof, who was killed, needing a vest. The rest is debatable, idk yet.

   Who exudes confidence and excess depth – (He is cocky, confident and extremely deep)

   Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
   Around these leagues – (His words are so deep that Scuba Steve will find it hard to breath.)

   My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
   Westside Poseidon, Westside beside’em, chest high and rising
   (This is another reference to him playing the tuba. So if rap is the sea/ocean then Lu is the ruler. He is the West side Poseidon [Poseidon is the mythological god of the sea]. The West side of Chicago is beside him, at the level of his chest and he keeps talking about it more and more making his city [zone] rise higher]

   Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
   (I think he might be saying that he is taking rap to a whole other level. By not dumbing it down he is making rap, as a whole, rise higher then just money, hoes and clothes. Lu is taking it so high that it is in the air touching the knees of pilots and stewardess’)

   Lucky they make you fly with
   Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves – (Record companies make these weak artists ‘fly’, lucky you have their backing(personal floating devices refers to the radio, MTV) tricks falling out my sleaves means he is always coming up with more ideas and ways to wake people up.)

   David Blaine
   Make it rain
   Make a boat
   I make a plane
   Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
   Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again – David Blaine tried to hold his breath underwater for 8 minutes while being getting shakles off of him, it means he will wade through the rap game(water) and break these chains, Make it rain, add something new to the game. Make a boat, ride on top the game. Make a plane, fly above anyone. Then I pull the plug and make it drain until i feel like flowing and filling it up again, he has said he will only make one more album, pull the plug means retire until i feel like flowing and filling it up again.

2. On January 15th, 2010 at 7:38 am Maurice Says:

   This is very deep would like you to do more songs espically from lupe previous albums I would be checking for updates great job